Religion: Roman Catholic (70%), Evangelical (15.1%), other Christian( 1%), other (4.6%), none( 8.3%)
Industries: Copper and other mineral resources, agricultural raw materials, textiles, and furniture.
Monetary system: Pesos
Demographics: White and White-Amerindian (95%) Amerindian (3%) Other (2%)
>>> Geography<<<
Chile is a long narrow country located on the south-western coast of the South American continent. They're coastal position gives them easy access to countries located in the pacific ocean which is good for the countries trade. Chile stretches from the middle of South America to the southernmost tip of the continent, covering a total of 289,112 square miles. One-third of northern Chile is covered by the ranges of the Andes, which contains two of the highest peaks in the Americas. In fact, roughly 80% of Chile's land is made up of a mountainous landscape.
The top two thirds of Chile sit on a tectonic plate that shifts eastward approximately 10 cm each year. Over time this shifting has caused the formation of the Peru-Chile Trench, which is located off the coast and stretches across the northern two thirds of the country. The trench's deepest point is 8,066 meters and is about 150 kilometers wide. Sense Chile is located on this tectonic plate it is highly prone to earth quakes. Chilies coastline is very rough and rugged and contains mostly rock cliffs. these cliffs get hit so consistently by waves that they occasionally break apart and fall off into the ocean. Chile also has popular beaches located in the central portion of the country. The southern coast consists of many islands including the very famous Easter Island. Chile also has many glaciers in its southern parts, including the Brüggen Glacier that covers a total of 1,265 square kilometers. This is a very good demonstration of Chile's diverse climates. They have temperatures of 92 degrees at the nation's capital to well below freezing in the southern region of the country.
>>> Brief History<<<
Chile was originally under the control of the Incas until the Spaniards began to colonize there in the 1500's. Chile won its independence from Spain September 10, 1810. Chile formed a two party state with a centralized government and a single dictator. Bernardo O'Higgins was Chile's first dictator directly after Chile obtained its independence until 1823.Chile fought a war from 1836-1839 with Peru in which they gained territory. They also fought a war with Bolivia from 1879-1883 in which they gain Bolivia's only access to the pacific ocean.
A parliamentary dictatorship was formed in 1891 and lasted until 1925 when a new constitution was adopted. In 1970 Salvador Allende became president. Allende's views were very similar to socialism and in 1973 he was overthrown. Augusto Pinochet would then seize power and introduce a brutal military dictatorship. His reign would last until 1988 when the majority of the people voted against further military rule. During the 1980's the country suffered from a recession and during the 1990's, after Pinochet was no longer in power, the country experienced rapid economic growth. Today Chile is a stable democracy with declining poverty and an optimistic future.
>>> Government/Current political Situation<<<
Chilies current government is a representative democracy and they're current president is Sebastián Piñera. Chile is currently governed under the constitution of 1981. They elect a president every four years. Similar to the United States, Chile has a bicameral legislature. They have the senate , which contains 38 seats that are held for an eight year term, and they have the Chamber of Deputies, which consists of 120 members who hold a four year term. Chile still holds political resentment for the way military rule in the 1980's had transitioned into a representative democracy, but sense this transition the country's economy has been doing better than ever and is considered an economic power in South America.
>>> Culture <<<
Customs
Like the United States, the Chilean social classes consist of:
Upper class
Middle class
Lower class
Social Classes are based ones financial situation
Family plays a centralized role in Chilean life
Families and businesses are often intertwined
Men usually shake hands
Women generally pat each other on the right forearm or shoulder while greeting.
Art
Chile has many churches and cathedrals that are a good example of early Chilean art that has a bit of European influence.
Like any country, Chile has its own style of art work That can be seen in The Museum of Fine Arts located in the country's capital, Santiago.
Sports
Football is the national sport.
Many Chileans play basketball.
The new generation are taking an interest in sports such as skiing, swimming, snowboarding, ect.
Food
Food plays a special role in Chilean culture
Chileans normally eat four times a day
Breakfast is usually a pretty light meal
Lunch is the big meal of the day
Around 5:00 pm Chileans normally take once (Which means eleven, because its eleven am in England), where they usually have tea with bread and jam
Around 9:00 pm families normally serve dinner
Music
National dance is the Cueca
there is a tradition Frutillar music festival where musicians from the entire country come to play
this festival has been going on sense 1968
>>>Tourism <<<
Eater island is one of the tourist attractions that Chile has to offer. The large head statues called Moais attract thousands of tourists.
Santiago, the country's capital, is one of the most visited cities in the whole country because of its museums, restraints, clubs, and unique architecture.
The Villarrica nation park is another major attraction. In this park you can see three of Chile's Famous volcanoes, The Lanin, Quetrupillan and Villarric
Los Pinguinos Natural Monument is another great place to visit while you're in Chile. It is the largest Penguin colonies in southern Chile and is home to over 120,000 Penguins.
>>>Current Events <<<
Chile reopened borders with Peru after army cleared multiple land mines washed onto a road after a heavy rain. (Feb. 22, 2012)
A Twenty -seven year old Chilean man got hit by a train at Banff at about 4:30 pm Tuesday, February 21,2012. (Feb. 22, 2012)
>>> General information <<<
Government: Representative Democracy
Capital: Santiago
President: Sebastián Piñera
Population (2010): 16,746,491
National language: Spanish
Religion: Roman Catholic (70%), Evangelical (15.1%), other Christian( 1%), other (4.6%), none( 8.3%)
Industries: Copper and other mineral resources, agricultural raw materials, textiles, and furniture.
Monetary system: Pesos
Demographics: White and White-Amerindian (95%) Amerindian (3%) Other (2%)
>>> Geography<<<
Chile is a long narrow country located on the south-western coast of the South American continent. They're coastal position gives them easy access to countries located in the pacific ocean which is good for the countries trade. Chile stretches from the middle of South America to the southernmost tip of the continent, covering a total of 289,112 square miles. One-third of northern Chile is covered by the ranges of the Andes, which contains two of the highest peaks in the Americas. In fact, roughly 80% of Chile's land is made up of a mountainous landscape.
The top two thirds of Chile sit on a tectonic plate that shifts eastward approximately 10 cm each year. Over time this shifting has caused the formation of the Peru-Chile Trench, which is located off the coast and stretches across the northern two thirds of the country. The trench's deepest point is 8,066 meters and is about 150 kilometers wide. Sense Chile is located on this tectonic plate it is highly prone to earth quakes.
Chilies coastline is very rough and rugged and contains mostly rock cliffs. these cliffs get hit so consistently by waves that they occasionally break apart and fall off into the ocean. Chile also has popular beaches located in the central portion of the country. The southern coast consists of many islands including the very famous Easter Island. Chile also has many glaciers in its southern parts, including the Brüggen Glacier that covers a total of 1,265 square kilometers. This is a very good demonstration of Chile's diverse climates. They have temperatures of 92 degrees at the nation's capital to well below freezing in the southern region of the country.
>>> Brief History<<<
Chile was originally under the control of the Incas until the Spaniards began to colonize there in the 1500's. Chile won its independence from Spain September 10, 1810. Chile formed a two party state with a centralized government and a single dictator. Bernardo O'Higgins was Chile's first dictator directly after Chile obtained its independence until 1823.Chile fought a war from 1836-1839 with Peru in which they gained territory. They also fought a war with Bolivia from 1879-1883 in which they gain Bolivia's only access to the pacific ocean.
A parliamentary dictatorship was formed in 1891 and lasted until 1925 when a new constitution was adopted. In 1970 Salvador Allende became president. Allende's views were very similar to socialism and in 1973 he was overthrown. Augusto Pinochet would then seize power and introduce a brutal military dictatorship. His reign would last until 1988 when the majority of the people voted against further military rule.
During the 1980's the country suffered from a recession and during the 1990's, after Pinochet was no longer in power, the country experienced rapid economic growth. Today Chile is a stable democracy with declining poverty and an optimistic future.
>>> Government/Current political Situation<<<
Chilies current government is a representative democracy and they're current president is Sebastián Piñera. Chile is currently governed under the constitution of 1981. They elect a president every four years. Similar to the United States, Chile has a bicameral legislature. They have the senate , which contains 38 seats that are held for an eight year term, and they have the Chamber of Deputies, which consists of 120 members who hold a four year term.
Chile still holds political resentment for the way military rule in the 1980's had transitioned into a representative democracy, but sense this transition the country's economy has been doing better than ever and is considered an economic power in South America.
>>> Culture <<<
>>>Tourism <<<
>>>Current Events <<<
Sources:
- http://www.nationsencyclopedia.com/economies/Americas/Chile-INDUSTRY.html
- http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0107407.html
- The Rough Guide to Chile (print source)http://www.amazon.com/Rough-Guide-Chile-Travel-Guides/dp/1848361750/ref=sr_1_6?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1329979572&sr=1-6
- http://www.indexmundi.com/chile/demographics_profile.html
- http://www.chile-usa.org/demographics.htm
- http://www.nationsencyclopedia.com/economies/Americas/Chile-MONEY.html
- http://0.tqn.com/d/coins/1/0/w/2/-/-/Chile_money_coins.jpg
- http://countrystudies.us/chile/36.htm
- http://www.engineerbarbie.com/server/home/brisbane/2007_06_Chile01/chilean_pesos.jpg
- http://www.factmonster.com/ipka/A0107407.html
- http://www.chilefishing.com/chileclimate.htm
- http://www.chileangovernment.cl/
- http://www.chileculture.org/arts-and-literature/
- http://www.everyculture.com/Bo-Co/Chile.html
- http://www.traveladvisortips.com/top-10-chile-tourist-attractions/
- http://www.touropia.com/tourist-attractions-in-chile/
- http://mw2.google.com/mw-panoramio/photos/medium/598494.jpg
- http://www.wayfaring.info/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/hot_springs3.jpg
- http://www.worldofmaps.net/uploads/pics/karte-lage-chile.png
* Chile *